Arts” Coverage Isn’t Museum Coverage

(and it certainly isnt exhibition coverage) I had a conversation the other day during which something went “click,” and a whole series of vague questions and half-thoughts just fell into place. 슠I was on a phone call with an arts reporter at a nationally known newspaper.슠 I’d written an email thanking several reporters who had…

Museum Educators Next, Part IV: Impact Where it Counts

This post, the fourth in a series on what’s next for museum educators, proposes the mastery of interpretive planning, a process that shapes what is still the central role of most museums exhibition development and display. Interpretive Planning on the Institutional Level  Interpretive planning is a fairly elastic term in the museum context.슠 In its…

Confessions of a Formal Education Enabler

I have been thinking for some time about museums propensity to imitate and reinforce the environments and methods of formal education. I think they need to refocus on what they do best: 슠create informal environments for learning (very broadly defined) and enjoyment. Importing a Classroom Mentality I entered the museum field from the classroom슠over 30…